I'm Bleeding Out For You
by TheDyingStory
Summary: Zombiestuck! Sburb does not exist. Human and troll mixed society. This will included hopefully many chapters, as well as pairings. Cronkri, DaveKat, EriSol, John/Vriska, DirkJake, Jane/Roxy, Rosemary, GamTav Implied Latula/Mintuna, Caliginous!Terezi/Gamzee, and Equius/Aradia.
1. Bang

"Cronus," Kankri starts, you know what he's going to say. You both also know that you lie to the both of you. He's kneeling in front of you, as you're slouched up against a brick wall.

The area around you is deserted, so it's quiet. The sky is a bright orange, due to the sun set, and there's a cool breeze which feels nice against you burning skin. This would look like one of the days you and Kankri would come home from a date that either turned out perfect or into a disaster, which you both would laugh at later. It was like that one evening in which he had confessed his red feeling for you, ones that you had for him as well, and shared your first kiss.

"Hey, it's going to be alright, Chief, you don't need to worry," you begin your lie. "I'm fine." He looks at you, scarlet eyes clearly able to see the truth. It's kind of hard to say you're fine when you've been bitten by a zombie – as well as dying in front of your matesprit who will end up having to kill you soon, so you don't become one of _them_.

"Cronus," he says again, and you can hear the grief in his voice. It's literally a stab to the chest, worse than what you're already feeling. His eyes are glassy, and he's shivering – probably from the cold. His black, tinted red hair sticks to his face which is covered in dirt and some smears of multicolored blood. His no longer bright red sweater is torn in some places, and also covered in blood, thankfully not much of his own. Even with a disastrous appearance – you must look even more disastrous – he still looks beautiful in your eyes.

"You shouldn't lie to my face," his voice is shaky, no longer holding the bright confidence he once held.

"Sorry…" is all you can say. You grab his hand, and give it a squeeze. "I'm sorry." He instantly crumbles and falls against you, one hand gripping on to your tattered shirt and the other holding on to your hand tightly. All you can do is hold him tight, and hope he manages to pull himself together so he'll be able to kill you.

It takes a few minutes; your skin is even more on fire as the virus starts to devour you, when Kankri manages to pull himself together. You know that if he doesn't end you soon, you'll become one of them and he could be bitten or killed, or some other zombies could show up and he'd be surrounded and essentially doomed. You shouldn't be thinking that though, this is Kankri. You've seen him at his best and at his worst, and he sure as hell can be more deadly than Gamzee if he tries.

Rufioh doesn't need to worry about Tavros's safety at all with Gamzee there to protect him. There were thirty-two of you all at one point, twelve trolls and eight humans, all together kicking some zombie ass. It wasn't until you all ran into a frighteningly enormous group of zombies that you all ended up separated. You, Kankri, and Aranea were together, until Aranea was caught off guard and became zombie chow – she's wasn't going to become the undead from the way she was brutally attacked. You believe that Nepeta went crazy and took out a quarter of the zombies that had attacked when several of the undead got Equius, and she's most likely alive since Equius would have wanted her to stay alive. Jane, unfortunately, was also one of the few you witnessed be taken down by the undead. Latula and Mituna were also taken down, at least they died together and had put up a fight. You saw Eridan and Sollux kicking some major zombie ass, and flee the scene with Nepeta, Aradia, Jade, and Roxy – who had tears in her eyes from having lost Jane. Feferi made it out, you think, with Jake, Dirk, and Horuss. Rose, Kanaya, Terezi and Porrim got out together. John, Rufioh, and Meenah were with each other, Muelin, Kurloz, Damara got out together, and Gamzee and Tavros were together. Vriska got out alone, but no one needed to worry, she was strong enough to make it alive – you're pretty sure John is worried either way. Dave and Karkat, like Vriska, were separated on their own.

No one is going to look for each other though, you all agreed that if you were separated you'd head to abandoned hospital that was just out of the city and a hill. Yes, as bad as it sounds, you are all head to an abandoned hospital. An. Abandoned. Hospital. You and many others disagreed with that idea, but that hospital could be used as a perfect base. Even though it sounded as though you all would have been trapped in a horror movie, one in which everybody dies.

Well, on the bright side, you won't have to deal with a crummy hospital now. On the downside, Kankri has to go there _alone_.

Kankri pulls away, cheeks now stained with transparent red tears, which you whip away with your free hand.

"Promise me that you'll make to the hospital, and that I won't see you again until you've lived you're full life, Kan?" You request, as cheesy as it sounds.

"Cronus, you know that I can't promise something like that." He voice is now hoarse and quiet, as he looks to the ground. You lift his chin up, so you can meet his eyes.

"I know, but can you try?"

"Yes." You know he'll try, even if he's fails, he would have tried. He would have tried for you and for the others. You only hope, that unlike you, he'll be successful, like he normally is when he tries.

"Good." You pull him into the kiss, the last that you both shall ever share.

He doesn't pull away and neither do you, so the kiss is long, but eventually the pain in your chest begins to grow and you let him go. He stands back up, lifts up the gun he obtained a while back., and presses it against your forehead.

"I love you, darling." He says, tears reforming in his eyes. You want to hold him again and make him stop crying, but you can't.

"I love you too, doll."

_Bang_


	2. What Joy

You are now Dirk Strider, and you had killed Horuss. The virus was not going to let anyone escape, and at this rate no one would make it to the Hospital. Feferi was lucky, when the enormous group of zombies attacked, though she lost her leg from the knee down. You and Horuss managed to make her a new, working robotic leg, so the virus didn't have a chance to affect the rest of her, but you all still had to keep a close eye on her. She looks fine, so none of you have to worry.

Horuss had been bitten during that attack that cost Feferi her leg, but no one knew he was, not even he did. It wasn't until it was too late that you all realized he was infected; you had to take him out, any of the old Horuss was dead and there was no saving him. It made you sick having to clean your blade from having his black blood on it.

The thing about the virus that no matter what blood color you have, blue, red, green, it turns black and looks like tar. Their eyes aren't all white like it would be expected, instead they're all black which is even more freaky. Black lines are scattered all over their body, like the virus just wants to show off how infected they are. For trolls, their grey skin pales and for humans their skin turns to a sickly green.

Now it was only you, Jake, and Feferi in a group. Hopefully you'll find Dave or Roxy and the others. If there's one thing you know, however, is that Dave is most likely looking for Karkat, who you didn't see escape or die. You saw Roxy leave with the younger Ampora, and with the look she had on her face, you know Jane is gone. At least most of you got out.

You're all headed down a street with abandoned or blocked up houses one each side, and lots of trees. You had all been chance down practically half way across the damn city, and are now headed in a direction you know where lots of zombies are. You plan to take a turn somewhere ahead though, to avoid them.

These zombies, you found, are blind and can't feel, but they rely on sound and will head in the direction in which the noise is coming from. You alone could probably make it past the zombies quietly, maybe Jake as well, but Feferi's robotic leg may cause some ruckus if it was to malfunction, and you can't risk that. The zombie's tend to be slow moving too, until they are certain that living prey is ahead of them, and then they become faster and stronger. Also, you can't be near them, being as quiet as possible wouldn't protect you since they can hear your heartbeat, so distance is necessary.

Feferi walks ahead of you and Jake, probably because she expects you two to make up. Before you all were separated you and Jake got into a fight over a minor subject, and haven't really gotten to talking and making amends. You both said some things that didn't really relate to the topic and had hit some tender spots.

You begin to slow down so there's a little more distance between you and Feferi, Jake slows down too. He knows you both have to talk as well. There's a long awkward silence, neither of you are sure how to go about this. Obviously, apologizing is the first step and it's just a matter of who says it first. You aren't going to be the one to let some silly fight get between you two.

"I'm sorry." You start, but he interjects.

"I know, I'm sorry too. I did say some rude things that I shouldn't have said. I guess I was just stressed and I didn't handle things well."

You nod, understanding, "I get it. We all are stressed, and that attack didn't help either. We shouldn't let our emotions get in the way of surviving. Instead of fighting over things we should focus on dealing with the real problem ahead of us."

"Naturally, again I'm sorry."

"Same."

It's quiet for a while, before Jake speaks once more. "… You're worried about Dave, aren't you?"

"Yes," you don't deny it. You know you don't need to be worried, he can take care of himself just fine, but that doesn't help tame the fear that thrives. "He's most likely going to try to find Karkat, or at least find some others as he heads to the hospital as planned. But, you know how we Strider's get when the people we care about are in danger."

"Hmm." He nods, "you aren't going to do anything that could get yourself killed are you?"

"No promises."

"Dirk," he glares, "you better not. I don't think I'd be able to focus on anything if you got yourself killed."

"I think I'll be just fine, Jake, and if we need to worry about anyone its Roxy. With...Jane gone, she's probably drinking even more – if she finds any alcohol – making her vulnerable but dangerous at the same time."

"Yeah, but she's with are larger group, and a Captor is with them. I do recall he managed to use his psionic to take out plenty of the zombies."

"They've also got Nepeta."

"…Yeah, they'll be alright."

You both start nearing closer to Feferi who has stopped at a corner, you both find out why once you reach her. "Well, so much for avoiding conflict." Jake says quietly. Neither of you had expected this many zombies to be down this road, or any at all, but it seems you are surrounded by them.

What joy.

You all begin to walk away, slowly and quietly as possible. Until you hear a disgusting groaning noise from behind. Simultaneously, you all look behind and find a zombie, staring right at you. It must been behind a shrub because you did not see it before, and now you were pretty much screwed. Its head tilts one way then back again, and you know it can hear your hearts beating as it just stares your way. It only takes seconds before it screeches and is racing towards you. Jake has a bullet in its head in seconds, seeing as the screech has alerted the other zombies there's no point in trying to be quiet.

Feferi has got her trident in one already, as you've already decapitated some. All the zombies down this road are moving towards you, you think you can take the all. Jake is taking out as many as he can, and while he reloads you and Feferi got his back. Feferi is even using her robotic leg to take some out, smart girl. You flash step your way through them, impaling their heads with your katana.

You're all exhausted and even messier than before by the time you're done. You're pretty sure you're going to have to stop someone and grab a few new clothes quickly.

"Well, that got rid of the last of my ammo." Jake said, letting his arms droop to his sides. Yeah, you're definitely going to need to stop somewhere to get supplies, and to stay for the night. The street lights are on already, and there's only faint orange and pink in the sky to the west.

"What are the odds that one of the houses have the supplies we need and aren't occupied by the dead or living?" Feferi asked, looking at the houses that seemed empty.

"Pretty good odds by the looks of it," Jake replied, "hopefully we won't have to deal with either."

When the break out of the virus occurred, people went crazy, turned on each other and basically lost any humanity they had. People would toss others to the undead to buy themselves time, which never lasted long. The undead are easier to deal with than living.

You go to a blue house that isn't blocked up so there shouldn't be any living people in it, but doesn't seem to occupy any of the undead either. Once you're inside you scout it out, checking any possible place where a anyone could hide and finding it to be clear. Feferi locks the doors and blocks out any entrances that unwanted visitors could use to get in. Jake goes through the cupboards and cabinets, finding anything that could help. He manages to find a mini first aid kit (you already have a large first aid kit, but the more the better) loads of food, clothes, and, lucky for him, several guns with plenty of ammo.

You grab some blankets and pillows from a closet and put them in the living room where you'll all sleep for the night. You aren't going to sleep in separate rooms, too risky and it wouldn't be much help is something bad was to happen. You all eat some soup and buns before you go to bed. You try to convince them to let you be on guard, just in case, but they won't let you, probably because you had to kill a friend – you're fine now though – and instead Jake is on guard. Feferi will be on guard next, and lastly you.

You all plan to get some sleep tonight.

**Sorry for any grammar mistakes. Or if it's too short. Each chapter should be a different perspective by the way. Also, sorry if some characters seem to be out of character, this is my first time writing most of these characters. I'm definitely not familiar with Jake or Dirk, or any of the alpha characters really. I'm not sure about Feferi either. **

**Any hope you enjoyed chp. 2!**

**~klmj01**


	3. Break Down

As if you'll get sleep tonight. Normally you are very lucky, but no not this time. You, Vriska Serket, are currently running for your life, _in the wrong direction_.

If that pesky human you ran into had stayed quiet, you wouldn't be in this mess. They just had to get a group of zombie's attention and now you are on the run. The human you ran into is long dead; the sucker couldn't run fast enough. Now here you are, and you need to find a way to lose them and turn around so you can get back on track.

The fight earlier with the large pack of zombies took a small toll on you. You now have a sprained ankle, you hate the bastardly undead. You should be heading to the abandoned hospital by now but it's going to take longer than you hoped, you're sprained ankle slowing you down as well as the zombies. So much for aiming to get there first.

Honestly, though, you be perfectly fine if you didn't get there first, just as long as you made it alive. Hopefully John made it. He got stuck with Meenah and Rufioh – you're not sure how you feel about that. But, just as long as he's alive you think you can deal with it.

You need to get to somewhere higher, so you can take them out. There are plenty of buildings, but they'll follow you into them and there could already be zombies inside. These fuckers will not get off your tail, and you are exhausted from previous fights. The only way you can get them off your back is to kill them, but trying to now will only get you killed.

There's a telephone tower ahead of you, the perfect place to take them out and last you checked they couldn't climb. You run faster, as the noises from behind are still loud and will most likely attract more zombies – wouldn't that just be bad luck. Once you've reached it, you climb until you deem that you are at a perfect height off the ground. The metal bars are chilled due to the evening air, which means you should make this quick so you can find a place to stay for the night. You pull around your high-tech assault rifle (xm8), aim and fire away.

It's only several minutes later that you've shot down all zombies in sight. You make your way down and land perfectly on the ground. You're quite proud about taking out all the zombies, and being able to survive in general. Not many survived the large group of zombies that had separated you all. Most of you had made it out in groups – most. Dave made it out alone, like you. You remember seeing Horuss get bit, but the sucker hardly even noticed; he was with Dirk who most likely took him out when he started to change. When you are bitten it can take about five minutes to five hours for the virus to take effect. Anyhow, you assume most made it out okay. Although, you don't know what happened to Karkat, he could be dead or alive for all you now. Kanaya, Rose, Porrim, and Terezi got out together fine, you think.

You take only a few steps before, you hear groaning from behind. Of course, you just had to miss one. It's fine though, since you'll be able to it out quickly and head to the hospital.

Spinning on your heel, you turn to face the undead freak that has the pleasure to be killed by you. Only, you freeze, and your breathing halts, as your eyes fall onto the zombie before you. Terezi stands hunched over a few feet away, eyes black, black lines all over her now pale, decaying skin. She stares at you unseeing, listening to your heartbeat. All you can think is, _shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit._ Porrim, Kanaya, Rose and her must have been attacked, brutally, if she is one of the undead now. Hell, they're all probably dead as well now. How many more people are going to die? That's a stupid question, everyone will, eventually. You know that.

Terezi takes at step forward.

And then she's on the ground with a bullet through her head.

You refuse to let _it _get any closer to you. It's not Terezi anymore, just another zombie with her face.

You turn around and continue walking, not glancing back at someone who was once your sister.

Your walk had turn into a run, despite the sprained ankle that hurts like a bitch. You kill any zombie that is in sight, and make it fairly close to a place where you can stay for the night. It's dangerous around this time, because the undead have the advantage, you being blind whereas they've got other senses to find you with.

The sun is long gone and street lights are your only friend at this point. Unfortunately, lights attract living people which also attract the undead. No one likes the night, because you can hear the faint screams of people being torn apart and ripped open. You can hear someone screaming in agony right now, luckily they aren't near you and will attract zombies towards them rather than you.

Number one thing you must keep in mind is when you take shelter is to turn off any lights that may be on, because it'll attract the living. The living has become even more difficult to handle than the undead, you know from experience.

There's a warehouse a few blocks ahead, dangerous but it's the best option you have right now. You go through the front door and find yourself in the lobby, rifle at hand in case any zombies inside show their selves. It's quiet, too quiet – _perfect_. If there's noise, well, then you aren't really alone.

After checking both girl and boy washrooms, you go up the stairs in between the washrooms, and check out the three rooms there; a control room, a storage room, and a staff room. The staff room has a vending machine that has already been broken into, a coffee machine with _fresh_ coffee made, and a fridge that has been looted as well. You start to get the feeling that there's someone else here who is alive, and considering how hot the coffee is, it was made a few minutes ago.

You head back down the stairs and go down the hallway on you left, and then turn right into the back area, which is filled with crates and boxes. You carry on with scouting this area.

You make your way through the maze of crates and boxes and stop once you turn a corner and find bodies of the undead – which are dead now – piled up. You can now properly assume this place is fairly clear with zombies, but occupied with the living, so you continue.

After a few minutes of going around the back area, you make your way back to the lobby, the entrances there aren't blocked up, so you think you should do the occupants of this ware house a favor of blocking it.

Of course, as you near a corner of made up of crates, you hear some shuffling. You position your rifle, ready to take out any threat ahead. Once you reach the corner, you whip around it, weapon pointed right at their chest, finger ready to pull the trigger. Though once you get good look at them, you move your finger off the trigger as you say, "John?"

"Vriska?" The blue-eye boy with the overbite says.

You're glad he's okay, but something urges you to punch him in the face… and that's exactly what you end up doing.

His hand flies over to his nose, and a pained expression forms. "Ow! Vriska, what the fuck," He stops short.

You don't realize you're shaking as you go to say, "You-you," you don't know what you were going to say, but you don't finish it. Because now you've broken out into a sob. Next you find that John's holding you close, and you continue. It's so unlike you, but you can't stop. What has little boy blue done to you?

Once you've pulled yourself together and John let's go of you, you head back with him to a large room on the second level of the back area, after you make him swear not to tell anyone of this breakdown – he understands, as always. You find that John, Meenah, Rufioh, had met up with Eridan, Sollux, Nepeta, Roxy, Jade, and Aradia, and had made the decision to stay here for the night. At least, you're with people you know now, rather than some idiotic human or stubborn troll that desperately wants to attract zombies.

Nepeta's asleep, with her head resting in Aradia's lap. You can understand why, Nepeta lost her Moirail and Aradia lost her matesprit – Equius went down with a fight protecting them both. Eridan and Sollux are taking to one another, glancing at you and John once you walk in and then proceeding with their conversation – gog, those two are so flushed for each other, it's almost sickening. Jade is consoling with Roxy, who is just staring at the floor, it's strange seeing her without any alcohol. Meenah and Rufioh are sitting next to them, not really doing much. Meenah's probably worried about Aranea, who escaped with Cronus and Kankri. She's been flushed for her since they were young, you know, and Aranea felt the same.

John sits down next to some computers that have been set up. Apparently the world hasn't gone completely to shit, because the News is still going. The news is now used as source of information for those who are living. It also lets you know what the hell the rest of the world is doing. You know for a fact the most countries have gone completely to shit, whereas others have actually built walls around them – no is allowed in or out. It's like everyone for them self, most of the time anyway.

You sit down next to him, and watch some broadcasts that have been just updated. It seems one of the countries that had done so well in blocking out the others is now infected. The number of zombies is increasing quickly. Scientist that are still alive are experimenting on zombies that they've caught, and are trying to find more ways to take them out and make a cure, or anything that can protect the rest of the living. So far, they've haven't found out much.

"Any ideas where the others are?" You asked John, who's attention has switched to you. The news is basically the same thing over and over again. People dying, more zombies, countries falling apart, scientist failing to find answers, etc.

He sighs and leans back on his arms, "I'm not really sure. We think that Dirk, Horuss, Jake, and Feferi might be on the east side of the city, if their still alive that is, though I'm pretty sure they are. Meenah thinks that Kanaya, Rose, Porrim, and Terezi should be somewhere north west, since she saw them flee that way. We might even run into them on the way to the Hospital. Rufioh saw Gamzee and Tavros head straight north; they may already be at the hospital with the speed they had. Karkat might be with Rose's group, but I don't remember seeing him escape – he should be all right though, or Dave will kill him. I think Dave was headed in a similar direction we were in. And we have no idea where Muelin, Kurloz, and Damara are.

"Do you have any ideas where ,"

"Terezi's dead." You blurt out. John looks at you with widened eyes, and you can feel a few extra eyes on you as well, having heard you. "I don't think their group made it well. If Terezi was turned, they must have been hit badly."

"There's still a chance that they could be alright." He doesn't ask how you know about Terezi, which is good. But it bothers you how he can still have that kind of weak hope, but that's just John for you.

After you tell them any information you have, like seeing Horuss get bitten – turns out Rufioh saw that to – and after you fix up you ankle, the lights turn off, and slowly, the group goes to sleep. Eridan fell asleep with his head rest on Sollux's shoulder, while he stayed on guard for half the night. Meenah called on being second to guard. You decided to let them guard, you need your sleep. Aradia fell asleep just before you, while the others, except Sollux, fell asleep before. She seemed extremely stress, though who wouldn't be during the apocalypse

You had to survive another day. And many more.

* * *

><p><strong>I apologize for having taken to long, as well as any possible grammar mistakes in this chapter. Hope you enjoyed the disaster known as this fic. And, sorry for killing Terezi. <strong>

**-klmj01**


	4. Then Prove It

When the sun rises, you groan. It's way too bright for your liking, and your shades can help you when they're broken. Your muscles are sore, but you'll be fine, you've dealt with worse. Besides,

You, Dave Strider, are currently on a roof with Rose and Kanaya. You ended up running into them in this building you currently stand on. They were completely out of breath, and in need of a place to stay had come to this building of which you were in for the same reason. They told you what had happened a few days before.

They four of them, Rose, Kanaya, Terezi, and Porrim, ran into a group of living – who had long lost their minds – and also encountered another group of zombies. The group of living accused them of bringing those zombies to them, and attempted to through them to the undead. However, all that did was cause more chaos. Terezi had gotten bit, and stayed behind to continue fighting the zombies and the other group of living that wanted them dead. Porrim made Rose and Kanaya leave, as she stayed behind to make sure that Rose and Kanaya weren't followed – as well as to kill Terezi when she turned. Whether she succeeded or not remains unknown given that they haven't heard from either of them since.

Rose is also awake, Kanaya's head resting in her lap as she sleeps. Kanaya no longer has a weapon, having come across a mutated zombie and ending up with a broken chainsaw. Apparently, there aren't only plain zombies, but mutated, giant ones too. Some people seem to react to the virus differently, resulting in becoming some giant, creepy, decaying zombie. They almost look like some kind of demon, with similar features of regular zombies – the black eyes, visible black veins, black blood, and sickly colored skin.

Mutated zombies are very much stronger than ordinary ones, and faster, and can actually feel things, rather than having semi-dead nerves. They can't see, like normal zombies, but their hearing it even stronger. They also have long claws, and extremely sharp teeth. There are two of them so far, you came across two of them and took one out before you had to flee. Kanaya and Rose couldn't take out the one they came across before they went to this building – it could be the same mutated zombie you failed to take out before.

In other words, you don't want to come across a mutated zombie.

You lean against the ledge, looking down. It's quiet, unlike last night, when screams could be heard. There aren't any zombies around, from what you can see, the road remains bare. When you look a block ahead, you can see an abandoned SUV that's in good shape, there might even be some weapons in it. When you leave you should take it – finders' keepers.

"Do you see any obstacles, Dave?" Rose asks, with her eyes are focused on Kanaya who seems to be stirring awake.

"Naw, no zombies or living in sight." Honestly, it sort of upsets you to see the streets so empty, the living no longer occupying them. It just brings the sad reality that you're losing. That soon, every living person will be dead or a zombie. "There's a SUV that's in good shape ahead, we could take."

"Hmm," she nods. There isn't much so say on the matter. Survival is survival. You gotta do whatever it takes. God, you're starting to lose your humanity as well, shit. This fucked up world is doing shit to your head. Hell, you might end up turning on your friends.

Nah, that won't happen. Karkat would kick your ass. He'd probably punch you for thinking so stupidly right now. God, you miss him. Wow, you're talking like his dead. He's not dead… or you didn't see him die. He could be, but you know Karkat won't go down that easily. He even said so himself that he wasn't going die easily, he still had to make sure you didn't get yourself killed. It's the same for you. You've both got each other's back.

Also, John would be so pissed if either of you died. And Dirk. And Jade. And Sollux. And Terezi. Yeah, you better not die.

"How's your wound?" Rose asks, as she looks at that bandage on your upper arm.

"It feels fine, thanks to Kanaya's nursing skills." The mutated zombie that got away had scratched your upper arm with it long, deadly claws. Rose has taken the liberty to keep an eye on you in case if you're infected. As far as any of you know, the only way to be infected is to be bitten. But this is a mutant zombie; they might have different ways of infecting others.

She nods, and a silence returns. You begin to pack up the supplies, and decide what of the supplies is unnecessary and can be discarded. You've packed up food, water, weapons – a few guns and swords – first aid kits, blankets, and clothes. Kanaya's awake by the time you've finished, and has managed to persuade you to let her look at your wound. It's not a swollen and blooded as before, yet she insists on changing the bandages and adding some more alcohol to it, so it doesn't get infected.

Once she's completed her nursing, Rose deems it's about time you all leave the building and start going towards the hospital.

You stay in front, as you all keep your attention in all directions. When you reach to SUV you saw earlier, you find that's it remains unlocked with the keys attached to the rear-view mirror inside, and it has a full tank of gas – what luck. You toss the supplies in the back, and hop right in. You sit in the driver seat, with Rose in the passenger seat and Kanaya in the back.

You don't drive fast, since you have no idea what could jump out in front of you, but you don't drive slow either.

It's been about an hour, having to avoid zombies, taking different roads, and trying to get around debris of fallen buildings – some people went as far as to blow up buildings. An hour of driving, and it's when you hear it. There is a lot of groaning and hissing, and gunshots, coming from an alleyway. You stop next to it, and see two trolls standing on a ledge of protruding cement of the building at the end of the alleyway. It just so happens that you know those two trolls, Gamzee and Tavros.

Gamzee looks pissed and Tavros looks exhausted, as the both continue two shoot the zombies that surround them. You hear a click of a gun from behind, Kanaya is armed and is stepping out of the vehicle. You grab you sword from beside you, just as rose grabs her shot gun, and you both follow.

It doesn't take long to take all of them out, but it doesn't change the fact that you're all stressed after. Gamzee jumps down from the block, and proceeds to help Tavros down, placing a light kiss on his forehead in the process. Gamzee was a mess, his face-paint had been messed up and he was covered in black blood, and some multicolored blood. His hair was even messier than usual, and his clothes were tattered. Basically, he looked no different than anyone else. Tavros wasn't as messy as he was, being as Gamzee wouldn't let anything near his matesprit.

You all get back into the SUV, after tossing the supplies they have in the back with the rest. Tavros sits next to Kanaya, and Gamzee sits the back.

Kanaya asks them about what happened to them the past few days, after you all had been separated. As is turns out they didn't run into much trouble, until they got cornered just must minutes ago. They had seen a mutated zombie as well, but were far enough away from it to sneak by without being noticed.

You take chance to ask Gamzee if he knows where Karkat could be. Despite, the past troubles that existed between you and Gamzee, you both do care about Karkat.

"He made it out," Is his reply, nothing more. But it's good enough for you. Just knowing Karkat made it out of that mess that separated all of you is good enough.

You end up going down a road that is a disaster area. There are corpses all over, destroyed vehicles, burnt down houses, and a few zombies here and there. Rose sighs, and reaches to turn on the radio. Normally there's a station that is constantly giving out information, but there's nothing but static. Seems they are either taking a break or are dead. Either way, no help. So instead, Rose connects her IPhone and plays some music quietly, keeping in mind that Tavros is trying to take a nap.

The song _Genesis _by _Grimes _plays. Normally, you would make a snarky remark to the music, but you say nothing. You listen to the music as it plays.

~.: :.~

You definitely weren't prepared for this.

Everything had been fine. Just moments ago you were driving safely to your destination. Everything was calm. Tavros got some sleep, having moved to the back seat with Gamzee, who was happy to cuddle with him as he slept. Rose and Kanaya chatted about their plans for when you reached the hospital, most likely about having a fence around the area and organizing shit.

Everything was fine.

Until a bus rammed right into you.

You're all okay, but the fact that there is a pretty large group of zombies attacking you puts that thought on a halt. You're out of the now damaged vehicle, armed and ready. As well as the people who were in the bus. Turns out someone on the bus turned into a zombie – idiot thought he'd be fine – and began killing the people on it, which caused them to go all over the place and ram into you. The zombie on the bus has been taken out, as well as the people of were bitten, leaving only five people that were on the bus left.

So ten people against about forty to fifty zombies, sure sounds "fun".

Scratch that, nine against forty to fifty zombies, someone just got bitten and torn to shreds.

You keep firing away, and decapitating them, and crushing their skulls, etcetera etcetera. But they just keep on coming. And once you hear a painfully loud screeching that sounds like a thousand people in pain, you know you're screwed. It seems you've caught a mutated zombie's attention, and you can even see running your way from behind.

Fuck.

"Dave!" Rose shouts and you spin around to find a zombie just inches from your face, and then your sword impales its head.

There's only seven of you now, your group if fine, there are only two people left who were on the bus.

God, you're exhausted. Your wound is even starting to hurt again. It shouldn't really matter because you're pretty much dead.

"_And here I thought Striders never went down easy." _Oh, is that Karkat's voice. Oh, you're remembering something, aren't you?

"_That was a slip up. I'm told the truth when I said Striders don't go down easy." _

"_Then prove it."_

You are so going to fucking prove it.


	5. Life Line

When you look up, you see the thing that just hurdle through all of you, knocking many of you and the zombies down. It's about 8 feet tall, boney, and has sickly green skin covered with black lines. It has long, thin fingers with sharp, long, grey claws and its eyes are hollowed. It bares its lethal fangs, as it slouches, looking around for prey. Petrified, you get up and watch as Gamzee confronts it. The thing narrows its eyes on him and battle takes place.

Everyone takes that as a sign to stop staring and get back to the situation at hand.

It's a terrible struggle, with the oncoming zombies and having to keep at it. Many times you almost slipped up and became zombie-chow, but you managed to recover quickly. Dirk assisted Gamzee as they fought that mutant zombie – Kanaya managed to fill you in as to what it was. They seem to be interested in killing both living and the other undead, as it attacks and eats any creature in its path.

It's strange, but it's a mutated zombie, so you can't expect it to act normally. You are worried about how many of them a roaming around the city though, so far there have been three, one down and two left. This could be one of the two from before, or a new mutant zombie.

A zombie from behind you goes to grab your shoulder but you spin around and plunge you triton in its skull. Its face resembles Meenah's. You feel your heart stop. Oh, god. It's not Meenah's you tell yourself, it just looks a lot like her. You didn't kill Meenah. You didn't kill your "sister". You didn't kill her. She's in another part of the city with the others. She's alright. _They are alright. _

Tavros shoots a zombie that was about to grab your foot as you stood frozen. You regain your composure and fight alongside him. You're a bit shaky, as you watch all the faces of each zombie you kill, making sure it's none of you friends. You feel a little relieved as you don't see any that could possibly be them. _They are alright_, you tell yourself again.

You continue you assault on them, and soon you find there aren't that many left, you sigh in relief. Until you hear a blood-curdling scream come from the mutant zombie, your attention is on it within seconds as you watch it fight against Dirk and Gamzee. It manages throw push Dirk and Gamzee aside. It screams again, furiously.

Everything goes slow, as it goes crazy, and oh god, it hits Jake with all its strength and sends him flying into a brick wall, you hear bones break and see blood splatter against the wall, and he falls to the ground limp. Dirk on the thing again within seconds, as well as Dave and Gamzee.

The rage and hatred they have pushes them to finally killing it with a final blow to its head. Jake lays limp as Dirk rushes towards him. You don't go near them. You know he's dead. He's dead because you all weren't strong enough. You can tell that everyone knows as well.

Jakes gone, just like the others; Horuss, Equius, Mituna, Latula, Jane, Terezi, Porrim, and who knows who else.

After a few moments Dirk stands back up and you all reassemble, as there are no remaining zombies to be killed. He doesn't show emotion, but you all know he's hurt. Badly. You'll have to move on without Jake like you did with everyone else. There's no stopping or taking a break when it comes to survival in this world anymore. Besides, if you don't leave soon more zombies will come here.

You avoid looking at Jakes body as you pass it, and continue your journey to the hospital in silence.

Dave stands close to his brother's side, just as Rose follows closely behind them with Kanaya. You stand by Tavros and Gamzee, who are also very silent. You're so used to them murmuring amusing things to one another, which eventually causes loud laughs. Their hands are clasped together, like they're each other's life line. You can understand that, everyone has something that holds them together, keeps them surviving. You fear that Dirk may have just lost that life line. Hopefully, Dave can at least help him.

You know that Dave's life line is Karkat, and vice versa. Roxy's was Jane, John and Vriska are each other's life line, Rose with Kanaya, Meenah with Aranea, Cronus with Kankri, Eridan with Sollux, and Aradia with Nepeta now with Equius gone. Meulin with Kurloz, Rufioh with Horuss or Tavros as Tavros is like his little brother, hopefully it's Tavros since Horuss is now gone. You aren't sure about the others and what or who they use as a life line.

Your life line? Well, it's not specific. You'll have to say, it's all of your friends, it would be the same for Jade too. If they all die, you'll lose all hope. You'll give up. Actually, as much as you would want to, you wouldn't. You would survive for your friends, and fight to the very end. After all, that's what everyone who has died would want. They would want those that are alive to stay alive, to fight and survive. And take back your home in victory.

That's what everyone wants. It's just the matter of whether you are willing to risk everything to take back all?

~:[::.::]:~

You are Karkat Vantas, and you are dead.

* * *

><p><strong>I apologize for such a short chapter, and any grammar mistakes. I hope you enjoyed these 928 words. And sorry for those who loved Jake. Or Karkat. <strong>

**I'm the devil.**

**-klmj01**


	6. Freak among Freaks

You are Karkat Vantas and you think you're dead. You currently lay in a pool of your own blood, in the middle of an empty road. Your head is throbbing, but why wouldn't it? It's been smashed against the pavement. You can't move, or speak. Your body is burning, like something hot is eating away at you from the inside out, you want to scream.

Let's recall how you ended up in this position. After you were separated from the others, you headed toward the abandoned Hospital, as planned. You had eventually met some other survivors, which had just recently been killed by zombies. It was man with his family, or what was left of his family. They ended up turning on you and tried to feed you to the walking dead, so they could escape. You managed to get out of the building you were in, only to find those traitors outside and being torn at by some more zombies. You kind of froze at the sight of it, a very bad thing to happen when there's danger everywhere.

The zombies you managed to escape from, back inside the building, came out from behind and nearly got you. This ended up attracting more zombies' attentions. Unfortunately, you didn't make it out unharmed. One of them managed to bite your arm, and you ran for your life after that. It took less than a few minutes for your blood and skin to start burning, the virus spreading throughout your body. You didn't want to become one of _them_, so you when you managed to lose the zombies that were tailing you, you headed to the nearest, large building you could find.

The building was about six stories high, and it was good enough for you. You slammed through the doors and stumbled up the stairs. You fell down several times on your way up, and a few times you threw up this black liquid that tasted like blood and poison mixed together. But you still kept going until you reached the top. The plan was simple, jump off the building and die. Your body had stopped burning by the time you reached the top, and vision in one eye was fading. Your legs could barely keep you up; you were getting weaker by the second.

You were hoping the virus wouldn't take effect immediately like it did with most, you were hoping it'd take time, like a few days. That way you'd find someone you know, like Dave maybe. You didn't want to die by your own hands, but would Dave have been able to do it? You think he would, but it didn't matter anyway. You had to take your own life.

You jumped, and you hit the ground, felt your body crack and shatter. And now you lay in a puddle of blood, and you're still alive – or dead, you don't know which.

You listen carefully, you can hear your breathing, but past that you can hear a faint heartbeat. You're still alive. Partially alive, anyway. You could still be dying, or turning. You don't like the latter thought. You try to get your body to move, forcing your muscles to work. It hurts like a bitch, but your arms begin to move. Once you've lifted your head up, you smash it against the pavement again, a loud crack echoing off the surrounding buildings.

You do it again…

And again…

And again…

And again…

Every time you do it harder, breaking more of your skull. There's so much blood, and it's no longer the bright mutant shade before, it's still red only darker. At least it isn't black, so you aren't like them yet. You keep trying, but it's not doing anything. You're still alive, and in a hell of a lot pain. You have no vision in one eye and the other is blurred from the blood that drips from your open skull. Your body aches but no longer burns. By this point, you're screaming, tears running down you messed face.

You can hear groaning coming from your left. It's those same zombies from before. Fuck. They'll rip you to shreds, but at least you'll be dead. They can finish you off, since you failed to kill yourself. You're in pain, and you want it to end. Nevertheless, it'll hurt when they kill you, but at least it won't last any longer. Fuck. You hate how you didn't make it farther than this, now you're dying. You aren't even close to the hospital, you still haven't met the others, you still haven't even gotten to know what "important thing" Dave was going to ask you before you all were separated, and yet you're going to die here. What a failure you are.

You clench shut, trying to fight back in any further tears, no sense in crying now. You wait for them to grab at you and rip you apart, limb by limb. Only, those corpse hands don't come in contact. When you look up to see what's taking so long, you find they just stand in front up you, a blank expression on every single face. They don't come at you, they don't scream, they just stand there and stare. The fire you feel through you veins isn't from the virus this time, but from pure rage. They're supposed to kill you. They should be able to hear you heartbeat, your breathing, the blood dripping onto the cement. You are alive and they are going to _kill _you.

You shout at them, letting them know you are there. They don't move. Your heart is slamming against your cracked ribs, the beating pounding in your ears. You are an angry wreck.

"Hey, fuckers! I'm right here!" You scream. "Aren't you going to eat me!? Huh!? Isn't that what you do? Don't just stand there! Do something." They still don't move. "What?! You've killed before! You've eaten my friends! Shouldn't you being the fucking same now?! Or are just going to stand there and listen to my suffering?!" You're crying again.

"Just fucking _kill_ me already!" Finally they move. You prepare yourself for what's coming next. Even more pain and death.

Only, again, it doesn't come. They keep moving past you, completely ignoring you presence. The crowd of zombies just walks on by like you don't even exist. It's like they don't want you, like they are denying your right to die. You sit where you are, frozen in shock. Watching as each zombie passes you. Among them you find Meulin and Kurloz, both undead. You believe that Meulin was bitten first and Kurloz decided to follow his matesprit. They don't pay any mind to you like the other zombies as they pass by.

You stay immobile, like you're nothing but a statue that only has little time left before it starts crumbling down. You don't even notice when they are all gone, as you're lost in your own distressed thoughts. Why didn't they kill you? Why are you no longer turning? Are you something worse than a zombie? Or are you just a complete outlier and your mutant DNA is to blame for your situation? Hell, even among freaks of nature, you are still even more of a freak.

You feel movement through your limbs and chest, kind of like you bones and muscles are rearranging themselves, but you don't pay any mind to it. You wish your body would go numb already, everything feels wrong, and your skull aches like someone decided to through a rave party inside it.

That thought reminds of a time Dave took you to a club, and what fun was that.

* * *

><p><em>"I completely despise you," you sneer, as you walk into the thrumming club with Dave at your side. He simply laughs at you, and pulls you to the bar. You're glad you wore what Kanaya had picked out for you – when she found out you were planning on wearing a turtleneck and baggy jeans to the club she immediately pushed you back in your room and made you change – a black crop top and black, skinny jeans with rips in them. Dave was wearing a simple white t-shirt that is fairly tight on him, presenting his fairly muscular build to anyone who looks, with skinny jeans. Clubs were all about skin and tight clothes. <em>

_"Relax, you just need some good old fashion alcohol and this shitty place will turn into a wonderland that will leave you feeling like you were hit by a car three times and you'll wake up in the morning feeling nothing but regret. Well, only if you're in a stranger's house. But that won't happen to you since you'll be waking up next to me in the morning," He says, and pays the bartender who grabs two drinks and gives them to you. _

_"Sounds like a blast," You say in a snarky tone. _

_"Oh, come on. I'll make sure you have fun, and if you don't we can do something you like."_

_"I'll make you regret ever saying that, since I know for a fact that I won't have any fun. Your taste in fun is as unexciting as an Ampora's love life," you snap back, as you take the glass and drink in one gulp. _

_"Okay, that was rude, and you should really take it easy there. I don't need you completely intoxicated to the point you can't walk and I'll have to drag you back to the apartment where you'll pass out immediately and then we can't have any more fun. I plan to some fun after this, Karkat, don't go and ruin it." _

_He takes a drink from his, and you reply, "I said I'd make you regret agreeing that you'll do something I like if I don't have any fun. I will go to the lengths of drinking as much alcohol as I can, to make sure this isn't fun for either of us at all."_

_After a couple more drinks, you're still not completely drunk, but it's enough for things to actually look entertaining, unfortunately. The music is loud and crashes against your ears, and lights dance everywhere across your vision, the people on the dance floor are dancing like the only thing that exists is love and there won't be a tomorrow so they have to make it last. Dave seems to have gone missing from your side and your eyes uneasily search for him. He pops up from the other side suddenly, and holds out his hand, inviting you to the dance floor. You take it without a second thought. _

_Everything gets hot when you follow Dave into the crowd. You're somewhere in the middle of the dance floor when he stops, and pulls you against him. He smiles at you and you can't help but smile back, your determination to make him eat his words now dispersed. He urges you to dance with him, and despite your inexperience, you join in, moving your hips with and against his. He helps guide you, in a sense, until you finally managed to get the rhythm._

_You squeak when a set of hands come in contact with your ass, this brings a snicker from Dave. You grind against him harder as pay back, and nip at his neck. You're smaller than him so you have to push yourself up some to reach. This earns a gasp leave his lips, and a quiet moan follows. Pulling back, you spin around so your back is against his chest, and his hands automatically move over your body; you thighs, hips, waist, chest, and he pulls you even closer. It's hot, sweaty, and overall, getting very sexual. _

_Even so, you continue to dance, after an hour and a few more drinks from the bar, you sort of black out. You think something happened because you both somehow got separated, which was a surprise considering how tight together you both were. You ended up between a female troll who was grinding against you in the front and a male human, who wasn't Dave, grinding against in you the back, trying to nip at your neck. You were a little confused and uncomfortable but ended up paying no mind to it because of the alcohol. Someone grabbed your wrist and pulled you from the pair, and you were with Dave once more. _

_He pulls you out of the crowd and off to the side, where he brings you closer to him. He a mumbles something but you don't comprehend it as you smash your lips against his. He kisses you back full force, spinning both of you around so he could pin you to the wall. Your heart pounds, as he kisses you and holds you. It makes you feel appreciated and wanted. _

_He pulls back, and you move your lips to his neck, "Hey, I have something to ask you."_

_"Mmm, what?" You ask against his skin. _

_He hesitates, "U-uh, you know what, never mind." He gasps when you bite down on his collarbone. "Okay, we definitely should go. We can continue this at home."_

_"Hmm, sure." He plants a kiss on your check and leads you to the exit._

* * *

><p>What you wouldn't give to go back to days like that. Even if some of those days sucked, it's still better than this hell. Days that didn't have your friends dying off one by one, and leading to the end of the goddamn world. This world is painted in blood, and suffering.<p>

The sky is orange and pink by the time you actually move again. Your muscles hurt, but it's not as bad as before, and you walk weakly down the road to what must be a small grocery store. The windows are shattered and supplies are scattered all over, it's quiet so you're pretty sure there's no one inside. You end up stubbornly hitting your knee against a stand as you make your way to the washroom.

The washroom is small and pretty plain, thankfully no bodies inside – you had bad experience before. You look in the mirror and examine the damage. One eye completely black, the other eye normal, your skull in covered in dry blood and when you touch the area you find that there aren't any cracks or cuts. It's completely healed, just covered in dark dried blood, the same goes for the rest of your body as go over yourself. Any bones previously broken are healed, and any hints of there being any damage are the scars over your skin, those are even slowly fading before your one good eye.

You've come to the conclusion that your mutant DNA has fucked you over completely, the virus isn't affecting you in the way it should. You are half dead and half alive. What were the odds? You, Karkat Vantas, are a freak among freaks, and you should really stop thinking about it. What's done is done, no going back now.

You wash off the blood and grab yourself some new clothes, you find that your cancer necklace as gone missing, it's probably somewhere back you jumped. You shrug it off and grab a bag to carry supplies – food, weapons, etc. You're not completely sure if the food is needed, but you're not going to take any chances. You're pretty sure that even if you starve, you won't die – you jumped off a building for fucks sake, yet your heart is still beating and your wounds are healed. If anything you're just going to packing around unwanted items.

But, the others may need food so you shouldn't think it would go all to waste. But then again, are you going to continue to the hospital? Your half dead and they may not want you. You could also be wrong about no longer turning, you could be turning slowly – no, you can tell you're not, it burns when you turn and stops when you are one of them, you lose all knowledge of yourself and turn into a brainless monster. Yet, you now longer burn and you still have control of yourself, like you're fully alive. But, you could still be seen as a monster by them, hell you're seen as a monster by yourself.

Do you continue towards them, or go the other way? If you go the other way they'll assume you're dead, if you go to meet them, there's no telling that you won't accidently cause harm to one of them, maybe even kill them. God, what would Dave do? What would he prefer you to do? Probably go to the hospital as planned. And if the person you end up hurting is him? Even if you go the other way, you'll still be hurting him, letting him think your dead.

You sit on the cold floor and sigh, tears dripping down your face. God, you don't know what to do.

* * *

><p>You are Kankri Vantas, and after having killed your matesprit, you're glad you found a friend. When you found her, Porrim was covered in dried black and multi-colored blood, having been in a fight after separating from Rose and Kanaya to kill Terezi who had been turned. She couldn't kill Terezi, and she had to escape since more and more of them kept coming from left and right, as she told you. Terezi is still out there as a walking corpse, and Rose and Kanaya are somewhere else, hopefully alive.<p>

You told her what happened to you, Aranea and Cronus, she simply pulled you into her arms and calmed you, since you apparently were crying – you couldn't tell, your eyes are sore from lack of sleep and from tears being previously shed.

You are headed down an empty road with her by your side, neither of you speak. You had passed several corpses along this road, people who were torn to shreds by zombies to the point you couldn't tell if they were your friends or not. You stopped by them and took their weapons, since they obviously had no use of them. Your heart seizes up when you notice a familiar sickle to on the side of the rode, covered in black blood. You know that it's Karkat's, and luckily none of these bodies remotely could be his, but it still worries you.

You continue down the road, Porrim eyes you worriedly, but doesn't say anything. Of course, your worries get worse when you see an almost dried-up pool of dark red blood splattered on the road, like someone jumped. There's no body though, there are bloodied footprints that come from the pool, but don't go far before they disappear. When you see a glint of silver, your hand shakily picks up what you already know to be a necklace with a cancer pendent. It's Karkat's, this is his blood splattered on the pavement and you already know what happened to him. He was turning and he killed himself. He's dead. The walking dead must have taken his body off somewhere.

Zombies do whatever they please, they tend to kill and devour on spot but sometimes they'll drag off a person or literally carry them somewhere. You know since you had seen one do so before Cronus had decapitated it. This probably happened to Karkat.

"Kanny," Porrim starts, "we should keep going." You nod in response, not daring to use your voice anymore. With the necklace clutched in your hand, you move forward. The Hospital isn't too far from here, and you need to get there before more deaths occur and you lose yourself to your anger. Neither of you pay attention to your surroundings; passing an empty looking grocery store without a second glance.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this long chapter to make up for the last short one, where i killed Jake. Sorry for any grammar mistakes, and if you'd like to, tell me what think's going to happen next.<strong>

**btw, Dave was thinking about proposing to Karkat in that memory, before he chickened. Just thought you should know if it wasn't obvious.**


	7. Good Moments

You are Sollux Captor and you have finally made it to the abandoned hospital. Your group managed to make it in one piece, luckily. After having scoped out the place to ensure it was safe, you begin setting up barricades, and organizing. Before the separation, Rose had mentioned that a fence of a sort will need to be built around the place, a strong one at that. Along the way here, you also picked up two undamaged vehicles, a truck and an SUV, along with more supplies since you now have vehicles to carry all the shit ton of stuff you grabbed.

Lucky for you, there was a hardware store nearby that had what you would need for building a fence. Vriska is working out there with John, Aradia, Jade, Rufioh, and Meenah. You and the rest work on the inside, cleaning shit up, making it look less freaky and haunted, and keeping weapons in every single room and storage area possible. Well, the hospital isn't _that_ bad, it's more modern, like it was only abandoned a few years ago, and you think it was. It's just that it's a hospital, not many of you had good experiences with hospitals. You did not have a nice experience, that's for sure.

That was only a like two – three, you think it's three – months ago when your bad experience happened, just when the whole zombie apocalypse started. You had to take Eridan to the hospital because he got a small greenstick fracture in his arm… that may or may not have been your fault – sometimes you think your red for the guy, then things start to get black, it gets really frustrating but it brings some form entertainment. Anyway, he got his cast – he still has it on, which is funny when he goes to use his gun – and you were about to head back, but the elevator you were in got stuck. You were stuck with Eridan in that elevator for an hour or so, mainly because you heard some crazy shit happening outside, just a couple of minutes after it had stopped, and decided it was best to stay away whatever was going on outside. When the noises calmed down, you finally pulled the doors apart and got out. The sight you were presented with was horrifying; blood everywhere, bodies of nurses and doctors, some you had spoken to only an hour ago, dismembered. Eridan promptly told you never to break his arm again, or do anything that involves being taken to a hospital afterwards, and you agreed. There were still a bunch of zombies there, which you took out with your psionics.

You were lucky that there weren't many zombies to begin with, because no one would have been prepared and you would have all died. You and Eridan alerted the others about the fucked up shit going on, and found out that some others were attacked but made it out fine. Dave, Karkat, and John were at the movies and shit went down there, and they were lucky.

Roxy is checking the amount of ammo that each gun has and how much of extra we got, so far it's all good. She's finally get things back together, after Jane died she was out of it for a while, but she's recovering. Who wouldn't fall apart when they lost someone they loved? Hell, some people would never recover as quickly as she had. Thanks to her you've managed to get two vehicles, since she hotwired both of them. Eridan was assisting her but he managed to find something else that need to be done. Right now he's currently in the kitchen, with Nepeta, putting things into cupboards and estimating how long they will last with that food. Hopefully, it'll be enough until the others to get here. Then you can have some people go back in to get some more food.

Jade was talking about having a garden, one outside on the ground and one on the roof, which shouldn't be too hard to do – maybe on the roof, but not on the ground. She managed to obtain seeds for various fruits and vegetables – thank you, Jade.

You already got the power to the building working, so much luck you'd think the spidertroll was here already, so now you are just setting up the electronics. You have a several laptops, two routers, and a small radio to use if you lose power to all laptops and building. You have cell phones charging, and hopefully once they are able to be used you can try to contact the others. You make note that when you go to extra supplies to get lanterns and new light bulbs for the lights here, they keep doing that creepy flickering that you see in horror movies.

A shaky hand grabs your shoulder.

"Shit!" You jump back and look at Aradia, who pulls back, slightly amused by your reaction. "Christ, Aradia, don't do that."

She chuckles, "Sorry, I just wanted to see if you needed any help. Vriska and the others are currently working out on making the entrance stable and strong enough to back any zombies. The fence is going to have to wait, since it's going to need more support and such."

"Oh, well there's not much to do here, anyway. I was kinda just staring at the screen, waiting for my phone to charge."

"You know that won't be necessary unless they have fully charged phones with them as well."

"Yeah, but still, we should at least be prepared. This hell has so many goddam surprises."

"Hm, not really. We just need to observe more…" There's a hint of slyness in her voice.

You halt after what she just said. Of course, she was thinking about something like that, albeit that might work, but it's fucking dangerous and crazy. Of course, what isn't dangerous and crazy nowadays, also Aradia's always like this.

"You're seriously thinking about that, you know you'll have to get everyone else's thoughts on it first, right? Bringing a zombie into our base isn't the most pleasing idea AA," you finally say.

"Yes, I know that but, I'm sure most of you will agree. It'll help us survive."

You sigh, you know she's right. Studying them will help you find more ways to defeat those walking corpses and you can probably find out what other things they are capable of and how to find ways to become immune. But if there's an accident, people could die or become infected. There are just too many risks, but then again everything is risky nowadays.

Before you can reply, Nepeta comes running in, beaming with excitement. "The others are here! They're just coming up the hill!" She bounces and proceeds to run down the hall, in the direction of where Roxy and Eridan are. You and Aradia leave the building and go outside just in time to see the others climbing out of their vehicles. From what you can observe, they look like shit.

You count them as you see them, Dave, Gamzee, Tavros, Kanaya, Rose, Dirk, and Feferi. Jake's not there, and he was with Feferi and Dirk, which means he's dead. Horuss is dead, since it was confirmed that he had been bitten – you wonder who had to take him out, probably Dirk. Karkat's not with them, you'd honestly expected Dave to hunt him down – maybe he did and found him dead. Porrim isn't with them, she probably didn't make it out of whatever happened that led to Terezi becoming a zombie. No sign of Cronus, Kankri, or Aranea, or any others for that matter.

Feferi runs to Meenah and pulls her into warm embrace; those two were always really close. Rufioh is next to Tavros in seconds, they're really close too, probably the closest anyone can get. You and Mituna were… somewhat close, it's quite complicated really, but you'll admit it did hurt when he died. Just like it hurt when your lusus died, but you can't dwell on the dead for too long or you might as well join them.

You notice Dave examines everyone accordingly, just like you, marking down who's here and who's not. Just as he does this, Nepeta, Eridan, and Roxy come running out. Roxy makes a fast beeline for Dirk, you know for a fact all she had to do was look at Dirk to know Jake was gone. He doesn't need to show any expression what so ever, but she'll know. It's a wonder how she knows, but you guess it's just how close they are.

So, this is everyone that's left? Damn, you were hoping there'd be more, like everyone else mostly likely. You especially thought Karkat would be here, with Dave no doubt, but he's not. You pretty pissed at him now. Karkat's a stubborn asshole, who's your bro and would have done whatever it took to make it here. Yet, he didn't. And that pisses you off even more. Maybe he's still alive, but only time will tell, the same goes for everyone else that isn't here.

Eridan's not going to take the loss of Cronus too well and Kanaya probably had to witness the fall of Porrim first hand, they're both going to need someone to lean on if – maybe not Kanaya, she could have already moved past. Looking at Eridan now, you can see the look of pain in his eyes, something almost everyone has nowadays. He and Cronus were like normal siblings, they fought on bad days and they got along on the good ones. You're tempted to go and comfort him, but you should let everyone have their reunion first. Besides, he'll come to you when he needs to, which will be soon.

Meenah hops into one of their trucks while Dave takes the other and they park them next to the ones already on the side of the building. Everyone begins taking their supplies and piling in the building.

You wonder how long these good moments will last.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for taking so long on updates. Just you know, writer's block. <strong>

**Anyway, who the heck knows whent he next chapter will come out. Bear with me it you can.**


	8. Doritos

You are Dave Strider and it's been one week since you've made it to the hospital. Everyone's gotten comfortable, or as comfortable as one can get in a creepy place in an apocalyptic world, and have begun making this place their new home.

No more than a day after you had arrived Kankri and Porrim showed up. It was also on that same day that you found out Karkat was dead.

When you first saw Kankri you almost mistook him for Karkat. He looks a lot more like Karkat nowadays, large bags under his eyes, sloppy posture, and messy hair. Porrim on the other hand was not as bad. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, she kept her back straight, holding herself high, and the moment she got here she wanted nothing more than to help out, after giving Kanaya a big hug first of course.

You asked him about Karkat, a little too hastily. You didn't like the answer. He told he was dead and you lashed out.

"What do you mean he's dead? What happened?!" You had asked, a little rudely.

You remember Kankri's unease, as he knew you weren't going to take any of this calmly. "He's- well, we didn't actually find him dead but we have enough evidence to assume-"

"What evidence?! How the fuck could you think he's dead if you didn't even see it!? You're wrong. He's not dead!" You would have probably hit Kankri, if John hadn't calmed you down or if he didn't look so like Karkat.

It was not one of you best moments. You had asked for the proof he had that he was dead, the answer you were given made things worse. Apparently he had found Karkat's sickles and not far from it there was a large splatter of blood on the ground with Karkat's cancer necklace. He still didn't even see Karkat get killed. He could still be alive, unarmed, but still alive (or maybe undead, but you'd rather not think that).

As much as you'd prefer him alive, you'd rather he be dead then a zombie.

You lay outside, back against the cool building. You've been working your ass off out here, much like everyone else. Digging holes into the ground, placing large metal poles into them, and then filling to holes with cement, then putting smaller metal poles into the ground in between the larger ones and getting wires on firmly is a lot of work. You all want to get as much done as possible.

Then there are also the gardens that are in need of work. Jade in on the roof working on one already, while others are working on the ground. Thank god for Jade and her gardening skills. You've offered to help, even though you lack the skills and knowledge, but she declined and said you should help with the fence. You finished digging the holes were the large posts are going to go, and helped the others put them in place. Once you get the barbed wire on it the fence should be done.

Of course, everyone's decided that one fence is not going to be enough, especially with those mutant zombies. So, a brick wall is going to be made in front of the barbed wire fence, which means a trip into the city will be made. However, a brick is still not strong enough against a mutant zombie, but it's the best you can at the moment.

You're on of the people who volunteered to go back into the city – along with Dirk, Roxy, and Vriska. John's not happy with Vriska – and you, or anyone for that matter – going on the trip. So, he's been pulling the pouty face for almost over an hour. You had even promised to try to get that drink he likes, Ecto-cooler it hadn't affected his mood greatly, but it lessened his smartass comments.

You wish things would be easier.

A loud grumble emits from your stomach. Sighing in exhaustion of the basic human needs, you push yourself up and go inside.

"Hey, Dave." Aradia sits at a the table set up in the middle of the kitchen or lunch room, whatever you want to call it.

"Enjoying the sweet relief from work, I see." As far as you know she hasn't really done a whole lot of outside work. You think she's just been organizing things or scoping out the place – you don't really know – she's here and then she's gone; it's hard to keep track of her.

"Mm, I sort of."

You open a cabinet, and oh glory the first thing that graces your eyes is a bag of Doritos. "What have you been doing, anyway?" You ask, pulling out the bag of Doritos, and sitting down at the table with next to her.

"Looking about. Just seeing what purpose some of the rooms can be used for."

"That's cool. Want some?" You tilt the bag towards her.

"Thanks." She just takes one, not an entire handful, and you aren't sure is she doesn't like Doritos and is just taking one to be considerate or if she being even more nice by leaving you more Doritos because she knows how much you love them. Or maybe she's classy and will take on at a time either way – "What room would you recommend for holding a zombie?"

…

"I'm revoking you Dorito privileges." You say. Honestly, you should have noticed what was up. She had looked like she had a plan of some sort, and now you know that plan.

"What?" She asks, innocently.

"What makes you think having a zombie inside this fucking creepy as hell place, that looks like Samara Morgan would live in it, is a smart idea?"

"For science."

"That's always the go to answer, isn't it?"

"It's more along the lines of 'that is literally the reason why a zombie should be brought into a place so creepy that Samara Morgan would probably live in it'. I think we need to figure more out about them, so we don't face anything unexpected."

"Honestly though, what's there more to know about them? They're undead, they eat people, they are blind and have incredible hearing, and they're slow until they hear 'food'."

"What about the mutant ones?"

"No idea. And ae are NOT bringing one of those in here."

"Exactly, which is why I say we grab one that isn't a mutant and study it. And maybe from there we can figure out how those mutant zombies actually work and so on."

You sigh, "You're dead set on this, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"As crazy as it is, fine. But you've still got everyone else to convince. And we're doing this trip into the city. Another time, maybe, but this trip is just for supplies for the wall – which you will be helping with."

"Fine by me." She takes another chip from the bag.

"Did I not just say your Dorito eating privileges are gone?"

She ignores you. "So, how are you dealing?"

"Huh?"

"Karkat. How are dealing with it?"

Oh.

"Oh." You lean back on the chair. "I don't know. I guess I'm just in denial. He's probably dead, but I just can't- I mean he's too tough to just not be alive."

"Hm, I get it." You don't reply. "I'm going to talk to the others about my plan." She gets out of her seat and starts to the leave.

"Yeah, you do that. I need to get ready for the trip, anyway." You sit up straight, and roll up the bag of Doritos – you gotta savour this shit while it still exists.

She stops at the door way, glancing back. "For the record, I don't think Karkat's dead either."

Sometimes, you wish things would be easier.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry I've been taking so long with this. I just had no idea where to go with this but now i getting back on track. <strong>

**and sorry for any mistakes you might see.**


	9. A New Enemy

You are now Dirk Strider, and you are getting ready to leave the hospital. In need of more supplies to and equipment, it's imperative that you and some others go raid some place in the city. Dave, Feferi, Sollux, Meenah, Roxy and Jade are coming along. Roxy and Jade are the good shots, being very _familiar _with guns, Sollux has his psionics and the rest are quick and able to carry heavy objects easily. John would have tagged along, and so would have Vriska, but you're trying not to have too many people at a time. They'll get to go out on a run next time.

Things were running smoothly, of course all you are doing is preparing to leave. But the hospital is looking far more secure. Windows are being block with bars or wood, whatever was left behind from the fence and scraps that were found in the hospital. Apparently, a work crew must have been in there at some point, maybe aiming to refurbish or get the place running again, since Nepeta had found a bunch of tools left behind – saws, wrenches, hammers, complete welding tools and so on. It was really helpful, although some needed new batteries and chargers which are on the list of things you need to try to get on this raid.

Dave hops in the back of the truck, followed by Sollux. You get in the driver's seat, and Roxy climbs in on the passenger's side. The others climb into the SUV.

"Seatbelt," Roxy says with a small smile on her face. It's been a while since you've seen her smile when there wasn't much of a reason to.

"If you insist," you tug over your seatbelt, buckling it in. "Happy now?"

"Safety first, Dirk," she buckles her own seatbelt in. "We wouldn't want you flying through the windshield."

"You're mistaking my driving skills for Dave's."

"I'm not that bad of a driver!" Dave calls from the back. Roxy laughs, slapping her knee. Reminiscing, you think, about the many times Dave's wild driving has nearly killed you guys or at least scared the hell out of people. He's not that bad, yes, but he tends to get a little wild and rushed.

Rose comes up to your side, holding out a walkie-talkie, "here, just in case you phones stop working."

"Thanks," you take it from her and give it to Roxy who ties the wristband to her wrist.

"Be safe," she says.

"We'll try," you start up the truck, and watch as she walks away, telling the others good luck. Feferi starts the SUV, after receiving a walkie-talkie, and follows your lead. Aradia opens the gate, and waves a final farewell.

In your rear-view mirror, past the SUV, at your friends who stand watching you leave. Hopefully, this isn't the last time you see them.

* * *

><p>The city is still, lacking life, and you'd think it was abandoned if it weren't for the sound of gun shots in the distance. You do your best to keep a distance from the noise all the while trying to find a place for supplies. Hopefully, you don't get ambushed by some people aiming to take your weapons and vehicles. You especially hope you don't come across a certain group that roams the city.<p>

This new group is… interesting and dangerous. Just after you lost Horuss, you had noticed them driving around with guns firing off in the air, hooting and hollering. You were sure to stay hidden, especially when they got to close for comfort. The memory remains vivid.

You had hid inside a locked up house, making sure it looked as empty as possible. Jake and Feferi were hiding next to you, though only you were able to look out the window. Some other people, a family, who must have been hiding nearby were found by the group and dragged into the center of the street, in front of the leader. You remember his appearance – tall, bald, dark skin, one leg missing and replaced with a robotic, and his face was tattooed to look like a green skull. He made the son of the family kill the others in exchange for joining his group. The son killed his family, but the leader just laughed and then killed the boy. You also remember what one of the group members called their leader: Caliborn. You decided that if you ever faced Caliborn, you'd run your sword through him.

The first stop you make is at a gun store, though it's almost empty. Roxy and Jade grab as much ammo and guns as they quickly can. The weapons are put into the SUV. The gun shots sound louder, so you don't stay there for long and proceed to drive in the opposite direction.

You stop at a small store, not Walmart since it's large and there is most likely going to be a lot of people there. A lot of people mean a lot of zombies. The store you stop at though is actually well stocked, and you find only one already dead zombie in it. Jade and Meenah grab everything they can get, and Dave almost squeals when they bring out a pack of apple juice. Can you blame him though? Apple juice is the boy's saving grace.

Conveniently, a small pharmacy is next to the store. Pain killers and other medication is something that is highly desired.

You finally find a place where you get supplies for a more secure barrier. Roxy marks it down on a map before getting out of the vehicle to help grab things.

It has been decided that a brick wall with require too many trips and take too long. So the goal is just to make the present fence more secure, and basically make the hospital more prepared for an attack. Some more wire for the fence is grabbed, and thicker, metal poles are thrown into the back of the truck.

"Is that everything," you ask Roxy as she hops back in.

"Not everything we need, but it's most of it," she answers. "We're ready to head back." You nod and start up the truck again.

The gun shots you have been hearing have silenced, and the city now feels dead. You haven't even seen that many zombies roaming around either. You assume the noise drove them all to a different direction, and that whoever were firing were probably being eaten alive. As long as you steer clear of that area, you shouldn't have any trouble.

The truck suddenly lurches, with an earthshattering noise leaving a ringing in your ears. The world spins and goes bright. You vaguely hear someone yell, you think it might have been you, but your vision black outs. The side of your face stings and your head is throbbing. Someone's coughing and saying your name.

Your vision comes back and look around, finding that you're on your side – the whole vehicle is on its side. You smell something burning, and panic begins to sink in. Your eyes find Roxy, if she wasn't coughing you think she'd be dead and you're suddenly thankful for having grabbed some medical supplies. Her right side of her face is burnt, shards glass from the window are impaled in her skin, hopefully not to deep.

You reach for her, and she flinches when you grab a hold of her wrist. She's hyperventilating and trembling all over having gone into shock. You try the best you can to calm her, but it's not working well since you're having a difficult time talking. You can't do much from your spot, but luckily Roxy is actually trying to do something. She's struggling to get her fucked up door open, but she's panicking too much to actually make progress.

The door on her side flings open and Dave is there, looking at bit rugged himself. Roxy is unbuckled and out in seconds. He says something to you but you don't process it, so you simply free yourself from the buckle and take Dave's hand. You vaguely notice the pain in you left arm and that you can't move it. You think your shoulder is dislocated.

"What the fuck happened," You think you ask. It sounded like you anyway.

"Fuck if I know, some asshole must have planted a homemade bomb or something," Dave answers. That would explain it. Dave helps you down, ushering you the RV? No, it's a different vehicle. "Meenah hotwired a new truck for us." You wonder how long you blacked out for, or how fast Meenah can find a truck, break in and hotwire it.

You hear gun fires again, or maybe you don't. But when you notice Dave looking around for something, you know he hears it two. Everyone hears it. Whoever set the bomb is heading over here, and you think you have an idea who it is.

"Let's get a move on people!" Meenah shouts from the truck. Roxy was taken to the RV, you assume to get her wounds treated quickly. You can survive until you get back to the hospital. You get in the back with Jade, you guess she ditched the RV and swapped with Sollux as you see him enter the driver side of the other vehicle. Dave hops into the passenger seat, and he doesn't have enough time to clothes the door before Meenah hits the gas. The RV is fast moving too, everyone wanting to get the hell away from the scene.

You look out the back window and see the truck, which is most definitely on fire now, along with the supplies for the secure barrier. At least you were smart and put the majority of supplies into the RV than the truck.

A hand wraps around your arm, and you hiss moving away from the perpetrator. Jade frowns, "Your shoulder's swollen."

"Yeah, I think it's dislocated."

"Want to me to pop it back in?" She looks sorry for you and sorry that she has to do that, but is willing to anyway.

"Not right now." You'd prefer not to have her do that or for it to be done while in the speeding truck.

You make it out of the city in almost record time. The hospital is already feeling like the safest place in the world right about now. It's quite a ways outside the city, which is much better in your opinion, and any roads that lead to it are pretty nonexistent. From the city you can't even see it, because of the trees in the way, not to mention it blends in and is far away. You have to take random paths that allow the vehicles to fit through, weaving around trees and going up a slope until you reach the small open plain around the hospital. And by small, you mean only the edge is a several meters away from the fence which is also several meters from building. Basically, there are a lot of meters but it's still small – mainly because the hospital takes of a lot of open space.

You notice that the others who stayed behind have begun digging a trench around the outside of the fence, not directly against the fence because that's a stupid idea, and it's pretty deep. It's big enough for a shit ton of zombies to fall is and not get out. There's a section of the ground they haven't touched which is in front of the gate, so people can get in and out. You're not sure if they plan to keep it that way, or if they want to make some sort of bridge.

Meenah parks the truck in the usual parking space and hops out. You stiffly exit the vehicle, trying to hold down the urge to wince. Immediately, you head towards the now parked RV and nearly bump into Sollux. He does get knocked down by Nepeta though. You finally see Roxy getting out of the vehicle with the help of Feferi. You get better look at her wounds and actually wince. She's going to have scars, but luckily Feferi managed to bandage most of her burns and cuts. You know she's going to need stitches.

She spots you and instantly relaxes. "Oh thank god."

"What? You didn't think I would go down so easily, did you?" You say to lighten the mood.

She grins and pulls you in for a hug, "Of course, I didn't. I was just… worried. You know, since we did nearly get blown up." You don't reply, wrapping your non-injured arm around her.

It was a very close call. Luckily, no one died. This time anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for any grammar mistakes and if this was a little short. and for taking too long. <strong>


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